Irish Soda Bread Scones

I’m not particularly big on celebrating St. Patrick’s Day, but I do usually like to make something ethnic on March 17th, so when I saw a variation of Irish Soda Bread in the form of scones floating around the Internet, I knew I had my recipe for this year. I’ve been on quite a scone tear lately, and this savory scone is a great one to store in my “must keep” recipe bank. I do tend to enjoy the savory scones over sweet ones, I think because I can justify them as a meal. In this case, the raisins (I used golden raisins because I had them) and caraway seeds add great contrasting flavor.

Am I the only one who feels that caraway seeds and that rye flavor is an acquired taste? When I was a kid I absolutely despised rye bread and refused to eat it or anything that may have come in contact with it. Just the faint smell of it would send me into a tizzy. But now, I adore it. I have a newfound love for rye bread and especially enjoy reubens and corned beef sandwiches. This was the first time I tasted caraway seeds in something other than rye bread, and I think they are fantastic here. I feel like such a grown up, finally enjoying the flavor of rye bread!

Like all scones that I have talked about before, you can makes these in no time and with hardly any equipment or tools. They bake up quickly and are fantastic warm from the oven. They have a hint of Irish Soda Bread flavor, but with the flakiness of a scone and the delicious flavor of the dried fruit and caraway. I know that St. Patrick’s Day is over, but these would be a splendid treat for any breakfast, brunch or tea that you may be hosting. Or just treat yourself to an extra-special breakfast!

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F and position rack in upper-middle position. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat (or lightly grease).

2. In a large bowl, whisk together the flours, sugar, baking soda, cream of tartar, and salt. Work the softened butter into the dry ingredients using a pastry blender or a fork or your hands until the flour mixture resembles coarse crumbs.

3. Add the buttermilk, egg, raisins and caraway seeds and stir with a fork just until the dough begins to come together. Turn the dough out onto a floured work surface and knead gently just until the dough is cohesive. It should be bumpy - overworking it will cause the resulting scones to be tough instead of tender and flaky.

4. Divide the dough evenly into 8 pieces and pat each into a round shape. Using a sharp knife, cut a cross shape into the top of each scone. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the internal temperature reaches 170 degrees F. The scones should be golden brown and a thin knife or skewer should come out clean. Remove from the oven and immediately brush with the melted butter. Allow to cool to room temperature.

These scones are so beautiful! I just recently heard about Irish Soda bread containing caraway seeds – guess I’ve never had it! I have always loved caraway seeds but my husband hasn’t; I would love to get him to try more things with them to acquire a taste for them.

No, you’re not the only one. I, too, used to think rye bread (or just the caraway seeds, my mom had to tell me) was utterly…nauseating. (Caraway seeds sometimes show up in sauerkraut, too!) Likewise, raw onions, raw green peppers, swiss cheese, Greek olives, and various other strong flavors. However, with maturity, I’ve gradually discovered that flavors can be so bad that they’re actually kinda…good. And then it’s a simple step to liking or even loving them. One theory is that our taste buds start out extremely sensitive as children, but become gradually duller, so we enjoy stronger and stronger flavors…things which to a child’s tongue are overwhelming and therefore disgusting. I think it’s why children generally enjoy blander flavors than most adults do.

My great grandmother made Irish soda bread with caraway seeds in it… I’ve never known it without them. What a great idea to make an Irish soda bread scone. It’s not March any longer, but I’m definitely Irish all year round, so I’m making these soon!!

I just baked these and they’re so good! I prepared dinner while these were in the oven and they smelled so good I had one before eating dinner! They’re the perfect scone texture and the flavor is nice. I’d planned on bringing these into the office but I think I’ll keep these to myself!

Quite near my family’s soda bread – which unlike the typical irish soda bread is more cake-like and has a finer crumb. But of course the star is the caraway seeds. All my life there was this bread toasted which huge pats of butter and dark tea. Stale left overs make a mean bread pudding! However, these scones are what I’m making this St Patrick’s day (and maybe the weekend following).

I decided that I needed a recipe for Irish Soda Bread Scones and this is the place I looked. Naturally you have this ready for me! I never did acquire the taste for caraway seeds so I’m leaving them out but will put the raisins in! So, I’ll start the day with these and end it with Irish Car Bomb Cupcakes! Not bad for an Italian girl!